Tempered Out
by Erizabesu Miharu
Summary: 2k16 verse. Emma's memory has left Mikey sad, and Raph mad. Too mad for the lair, and he flies out to clear his head. His free run turns into a rescue mission of a teenage boy from the Russian mafia... and a long overdue lesson for our favorite hothead.
1. Chapter 1

**While in the midst of re-posting, I should fulfill the dying curiosity of my faithful readers. So, I'm back and rearing for more TMNT action! Everyone's back for the ride; Leo, Raph, Mikey, Donnie, April, Casey... but wait, where's Emma?**

 **Oh yeah, THAT happened. I wonder how the turtles are dealing with the aftermath of THAT. Well, read to find out! And if you're lost on what THAT even was, go to my profile to read 'Optimum Illusion'.**

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Master Splinter enjoyed all of his teas, but it was his 7:43 brew that was his favorite. It was after dinner and his sons' evening training, leaving him enough time between cooling off and when his soap came on at 8:00. Plenty of minutes for his herbal vanilla to steep. Master Splinter was on the couch at 7:59, steaming cup in one paw and the remote in the other. _Patricia is sure to find out who murdered Cody before she could!_

He was barely into the theme song however, when the mad stomping of Raphael across the den- and across the TV screen.

"Screw him!" Raphael spun on a dime to stomp in front of the screen a second time. "Screw all of 'em! I'm entitled to my opinion and they can't tell me not to have it! A turtle doesn't need this aggravation!"

 _No, he does not._ Master Splinter sighed, placing his tea on the coaster in front of him. "A problem, my son?"

"I got no problem, sensei." Raphael whirled to face the rat, beating his chest with both hands. "It's your _other_ sons that got the problem."

"Do they now…" Master Splinter threw a glance at the TV. He had maybe thirty seconds… "And what is it this time?"

"Mikey's got that necklace out again." Raphael rolled his eyes. "And when I told him to throw it out already, Leo and Donnie gave me those looks." He air-quoted. "I mean, am I the only one who is thinking rationally around here, anymore? Are the fumes from the van clogging everybody's brains!?... or whatever Mikey's got up there."

Master Splinter knew what necklace Raphael was talking about because it had been the subject of every argument for over a month now, when he'd first caught Michelangelo staring at it. It was a rose gold dolphin attached to a delicate chain of the same metal. It had been an intended gift for Emma Dewitter. But upon her leaving, Michelangelo had kept it. Master Splinter would admit that he did worry about his youngest son in regards to Emma- and not just because he still didn't know where Michelangelo had coughed up the money for that necklace.

Raphael punched the pillow beside Master Splinter, who waited for him to punch it twice more. Like Michelangelo's grief, Raphael's opposition toward his brothers lingered. Master Splinter didn't like the way he'd been watching it build and boil under the surface, then exploding in the most sporadic of moments across their home. Yet, he knew better then to beat the proverbial dead horse. He'd said all he could on the matter, and could only hope that Raphael had heard some of it.

"I'm going topside." Raphael huffed, a pillow still sandwiched between his fists. "Might be awhile, Dad."

"Ummhmm." Master Splinter settled back into the couch, Raphael stomping back out of the den. Master Splinter listened to his son swing himself onto the catwalk of the lair as he took his first sip of tea. The TV screen back in his focus, he was met with a close-up of Patricia's anguished face. "It _was_ you! _You_ killed Cody!"

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 _Shoulda torn that chain right outta his hands._ Raph ranted to himself, sprinting over the tight knit rooftops of Queens. He'd gotten pretty far and still his blood was hot. Probably because, he could travel as far as he wanted, but when he got home… Mikey would still be whining over his lost girlfriend and Donnie and Leo would still be coddling him. They'd switched over to his side since Emma had left two months ago. _It was wrong to drive her away._

Raph could have blown a gasket the first time he heard Leo 'admit' that. _You nuts, bro. She leaves, the danger leaves with her._

 _Raph, we're always in danger._ Donnie had reminded him.

Ok, so he had a point there. They sought out the Shredder and Purple Dragons on a nighty basis. Emma's presence didn't diminish that. But to find two personal connections that tied back to their two biggest enemies? C'mon! And he got why they had rescued her from the Kraang lab; sort of.

The lost, kicked-puppy look on Mikey's face clouded Raph's brain again. _Why's it so hard for you to believe her?_

That… Raph didn't know. Except that he felt more at ease now that she was gone, attending some fish school down the coast. He lived with his family on a fast, tittering edge, but he was never on an edge he wasn't certain about. Except for that one time…

BTWOO!

The single split of sound halted Raph in his tracks, two steps short of jumping another alley. He turned toward it, listening. Two more gunshots followed. That was all Raph needed and he took off back up the block. He spotted a slight wave of people along the sidewalks, all running the opposite way. But he stopped above a gaping alleyway when he noticed several figures not running. And one of them trying to run.

"Get off me, man!" a scrawny kid with a backpack and a beanie over blonde hair kicked out wildly. He was trying to keep from more then one guy holding onto him. Pretty pointless since the group- three bearded and two clean-shaven- were moving him to a car parked askew in front of the alley.

 _Hang on, kid._ Raph vowed, leaping over the edge. He free-fell two stories then caught himself on the fire escape. The clang got the group's attention. Raph somersaulted down, letting his sai fly. The handle pinged between the bearded baddie between his shoulder blades at the same time Raph landed. It threw him off balance, letting the kid go free.

"What the?" Beardie spun around, but Raph's fist was already there to greet him. "What, indeed."

The kid backed up, only to be deterred by the block of mighty men and their car. One of them grabbed the kid by the arm as Raph picked up his sai and stepped over the unconscious man. "Here I was, having a nice stroll through the fair city of New York, and I find my evening interrupted by a couple of Godfather wannabes, picking on Home Alone over there."

The kid stopped struggling to glare at Raph. "Do I look like I'm eight?"

Raph shrugged and took what element of surprise he had left. He leapt forward and dragon-kicked the nearest clean-shaven goon. That was one beard, one clean-shave down. Their clean-shaven friend was next, Raph barely ducking his brass knuckles. Raph laughed. _I give 'em points for flair._

He hopscotched away from the next four punched that Clean Shave threw. "Plenty of speed, but…" He head-butted the guy, sending him down flat on his back. "You're leaving yourself wide open. Gotta keep that left up."

"That's enough, freak." A broad, bald man in a white windbreaker spoke up. His arm reached out to Raph, a gun leveled at the end of it. Raph grinned. "Is it?"

"Run!" the kid cried as Baldie's finger squeezed the trigger. But Raph was already flying at him. He caught Baldie's wrist, pushed the kid back, and twisted Baldie's arm around. His fellow goons ducked wildly to avoid the sporadic bullets that Raph let fly. Raph found the kid's shoulder and shoved. "Stay behind me."

"Not that hard." The kid snapped. But he listened for the twelve seconds it took Raph to render them all as unconscious as the first guy. Raph draped three of them over the hood of the car so as not to clutter the sidewalk. He stepped back, putting his sai back on his belt. He looked over at the kid, who was inching past the back fender of the car. They stared for a moment, sirens turning onto the street. Raph knew he didn't have long. "What, no thank you?"

The kid's brown eyes flickered from Raph to the direction of the sirens. Then fear overtook the uncertainty and he ran. Raph had seen the reaction often enough, when sticking to the shadows wouldn't get the job done. But when you got used to April and Casey's laidback attitude, it hurt. Raph moved to follow, darting back up to the rooftops. He couldn't afford to be seen anymore then he had already been… but he could at least make sure that the kid made it home safely.

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"Mikey put the necklace away." Donnie sighed at his brother, who laid upside down on his bunk, twirling the necklace above his face. "Let's play some video games."

"I've played them all." Mikey sighed, eyes swaying with the glittering dolphin. "I've played them all, heart and soul. I don't have my heart anymore… it's in North Carolina."

Donnie rolled his eyes to the ceiling. Then he looked back at Leo, who had nothing more to offer then a meditative spot beside him. This was getting ridiculous; Mikey was whooping and hollering with them over the city just last night. Maybe getting rid of that necklace wasn't such a heartless idea.

"You… haven't played _Mars Solo_ in a long time." Donnie tried the last attempt he could think of. "Because you could never get past Level 16."

Mikey's tilted his head to better view Donnie. "Yeah, I guess."

"Well," Donnie brought his voice down low. "What if I show you how to beat Level 16."

Mikey turned himself upright, placing the necklace on his pillow. "Is that possible?!"

"Let's put the game in and find out." Donnie urged him on like he might a Labrador, or Klunk.

Mikey leapt off of his bed and soared through the hole that led to the main living room. "I call the platinum controller!"

 _Sometimes it's just too easy._ Donnie jumped down after him. _Thank goodness for that._

 **Off to a good start? I've been wanting to do a stand-alone with Raph for awhile. I'll keep it coming, if you keep reviewing. And should I repost some of my older stories? Let me know.**

 **Happy New Year!**


	2. Chapter 2

**By the way, story taking place during October, 2015. (somehow my OCD missed putting that tidbit into the first chapter.)**

Raph thought that following the kid would wrap things up, but instead, he just had more questions. He'd stayed on the beanie-blonde's trail for almost ten blocks, about lost him when he hopped a subway into Manhattan, and walked some more to a Greyhound station in the Bronx. He knew his way around… runaway, who just ran into the wrong alley?

 _No,_ Raph thought back on the concentrated movements of the guys he'd fought back there. _He was targeted. But, if he's getting out of town, no need to worry about it._

He'd just stick around until the kid got a bus. Raph got comfortable on the roof across from the Greyhound building. It was on a corner and a long silver bus lined either curb. They were the only vehicles longer then the Battle Shell and Raph let himself fantasize about the possibilities with the extra square footage. He'd been chatting with Donnie about inventing a 150'' flat screen…

Raph's senses perked at the blast of backfire from a Harley. Make that four Harleys that were pulling up to the bus station. They jumped over the curb and parked on the sidewalk; what was it with bad guys and blocking the sidewalks? It was part of evil plans everywhere to re-route the jogging public? Raph zeroed his gaze on the bikers; only one of them removed his helmet, while the others adjusted their kickstands and bolted for the front doors.

 _Purple Dragons?_ Raph's eyebrows raised. He hadn't spotted any tats- they all had been wearing long, leather sleeves. But after awhile, one learned to spot a cocky dragon 'tude at fifty paces.

 _Dragons or dragoons, what where they doing here?_ Raph was jumping off of the roof before he had finished the question. It was too big of a coincidence, this being the bus station that the kid was hiding in. He used the streetlamp to swing himself onto the top of a passing car. He bounced and barely made it into the top of the bus. He was too low and waited for a break in the foot traffic to perch himself up above the limestone awning on the Greyhound store front. The wall was all glass behind him, but the offices were dark, shut down for the night. Good, because that was all he had going for him.

"This better not be the night that curiosity killed the turtle _._ " Raph groaned. He shielded his eyes and shattered the glass with his elbow. It collapsed onto the thin corporation carpet. Raph picked his way past it, bee-lining for the fire alarm hanging on the far wall. Without a second thought, he yanked. The blinding light accompanied the maddening siren and Raph muttered his annoyance as he headed back to the broken window. People was scattering out of the station, but Raph immediately picked out the scrawny boy from earlier, elbowing his way north. Two of the Purple Dragons weren't far behind him. "Quit running already!"

Raph picked up one of the larger shards and leapt back onto the awning. He only needed three seconds to steady his arm before he spun the shard in a downward arch. It hit the Purple Dragon right in the collar of his leather jacket. He fell, causing the kid to pause and look around in alarm.

"Run, brilliant." Raph sighed, twisting himself up to jump between the windows of the building. It was slow going, barely an edge to balance his feet on. He gritted, trying to divide his attention between watching his grip and watching the kid and the Dragon. Luckily, the Dragon was checking on his friend, giving the kid the chance for some distance. Raph finally reached a neighboring roof and took off running. There were a few alleys before they reached the end of the block. He didn't want to risk losing this kid and some well-deserved answers. He jumped down, landing less then gracefully, in the first alleyway.

The kid was just passing and Raph cried out. "Hey, wait a minute!"

He skidded to a stop, tripping into a face plant of the sidewalk. He pushed himself up, catching sight of Raph. Raph pointed at the kid's knees. "You're bleeding."

The kid readjusted his backpack and resumed running. Was that the only tactic he knew? Well, he was scrawny like a toothpick, so any fight for him would end badly. Raph climbed back up the fire escape and hooked himself onto the streetlamp. He became Tarzan for a few seconds, before he gained enough room to plant himself in front of the runner. Raph gripped his strap and pulled him into the next alley. "First off, don't go thinkin' you can run from a nin-"

A flat-footed kick to his beltline stopped him. The kid darted for the street this time, only to have Raph yank him back- clean off of the ground!

"Second!" Raph yelled in the kid's face, socking him in the gut, blowing some of the fighting spirit out of him. "Don't make enemies with someone that just saved your life."

The kid coughed, hands to his stomach. He looked Raph over, the resolve in his eyes starting to crumble. "You only did it for yourself."

"'Cuse me?" Raph dropped him on his butt. "Where do you get off…"

He stopped then. Because, for whatever reason, the kid laying on the floor of the alley looked more helpless then Mikey had when he'd left the lair. Raph looked toward the opening of the alley, knowing he was pressing his luck the longer he stayed here. "Look, um… for obvious reasons, I can't really be out in the open like this. So, listen the 23rd precinct is-"

"No!" the kid jumped up, wincing at his scrapped knees. "I can't go to the cops!"

He moved to run, but Raph's hand on his shoulder stopped him. The kid twisted around, wrestling against his grip. "They're got two detectives on their payroll, man!"

Raph didn't know whether to believe him or not; course it wouldn't surprise him. Corrupt cops weren't isolated to New York City, but it was a favorite nesting ground of theirs. He pulled the kid and himself farther into the alley. "Whose payroll are we talking?"

The kid eyed him and set his chin. Great, the resolve was back. And it still considered Raph an enemy. "You want to go find your buddies from before and I'll ask 'em?"

The kid crossed his arms in a huff. "Russian mob. They operate out of Brighton Beach."

Raph raised a brow. "So, why're you in Manhattan?"

"What'd you care!?" the kid squirmed again.

"Look." Raph drew their faces closer, giving him the death stare. "You got two choices. The cops, or me. And I'm not on anybody's payroll."

The kid scoffed. "Everybody's on somebody's. I'll take choice #3; where I disappear and you forget you ever saw me."

Raph snorted at him. "Yeah, cause you're so good at disappearing. You're what, ten?"

"Thirteen."

"And you think you can navigate these streets and not get caught." Raph laughed. "If they have cops on their side, they _will_ find you."

"Says the elephant in the room."

Raph gritted his teeth. _Why'm I wasting my time on this ungrateful punk?_

Oh yeah, because it was how he was raised. That, and he was starting to think he could pump this kid for info. Rumors had been circulating about Hun joining the Purple Dragons with the mob. Maybe… Raph looked the kid over again, noting his lanky frame. He saw his cheekbones beneath eyes that were probably bigger then his stomach. And an idea sparked.

"I give you 20 minutes before they catch you again." Raph released the boy. "Or, you give me 20 minutes and I find you a nice hiding spot with some chow."

There was no denying the kid's interest at the mention of food. But he didn't move. "Why should I believe you?"

Raph turned and started up the alley's drain pipe. "This deal's good for about ten seconds."


	3. Chapter 3

Nineteen minutes later, Raph had learned that the kid's name was Jasper and that sausage with extra cheese was his favorite pizza. And Jasper knew of the condemned gas station that laid on a lonely road that had once connected Coney Island to Brooklyn's upper side. It was one of the few 'country roads' within the city that Raph had stumbled upon when he'd taken Casey's bike for a joy ride. He'd milled out here a few times since, even slept a few nights. He had decided against showing Jasper the lair because ever since Casey, Master Splinter had told them that they had reached their limit of humans visitors. So, for now, the station was the perfect spot for Jasper to lay low.

Raph chomped down on his own slice of the pizza. Jasper was watching him as he scarfed down his third; while he held his fourth ready in his other hand. Seriously, when had his last meal been? Or he was trying to eat away the shock of leaping and bounding over New York City. And the pickup truck they'd tailgated to get this far out, before rolling off into the ditch and walking the rest of the way. Raph was just glad that the pizza had survived all that.

"So…" Jasper swallowed. "What's your deal? Plastic surgery gone wrong?"

 _This guy…_ Raph blew out through his nostrils. But given the last hour or so, he needed to cut him some slack. He moved back over from the window he'd been using to check the road. "If I level with you, ya gonna level with me?"

Jasper paused with the last bite of his third piece. "Don't know."

Raph gave an odd nod. "Well, thanks for being honest. I guess."

Jasper studied his crust. "I've lived in New York for ten months now; haven't been able to trust anyone that whole time."

That was harsh. And a very unguarded thing for him to admit. It could be a pity play. But Raph needed more then a few things cleared up from this kid. He crossed his legs, sitting across from Jasper, pizza box in-between like a peace plate. "I've been fighting the streets of NYC for five years. And _that_ whole time, I've never lost a fight."

"Betcha never went against the mob." Jasper scoffed at Raph's boast. "Their guns have guns."

Now Raph felt insulted. "Who said anything about guns."

Jasper's mouth fell open with chewed bread and cheese as Raph twirled his sais out. "Whoa! What are those?"

"The ultimate weapon." Raph switched grips in each of them, showing off their finely toned steel. "Every ninja needs one."

"Can I hold one?"

Raph about clutched his knifes to his chest. "After all that pizza you ate? You'll get grease stains all over 'em!"

"C'mon, just one!" Jasper pleaded, dropping his slice immediately. "I'll only touch the handle."

"Forget it, man!" Raph backed up. _Not my sai!_

But then Jasper got that Mikey-look again, his eyes going big. He made a show of wiping his hands on his checkered shirt, then held them out again. Raph rolled his eyes and slowly lent him one. Jasper took the handle, eyes going even wider. "Wicked."

"Careful." Raph warned. "They've had my back for thirteen years."

"How old's that make you?" Jasper asked, still eyeing the sai.

 _Good question._ Raph thought. "Sixteen, I guess. That was how long ago I was… mutated."

"So," Jasper looked back up at him with an uneasy eye. "You're, like, not from the same place as those Kraang guys were?"

"No." Raph said, though there was a slight truth to it. "I was a regular, ordinary turtle from earth."

"Were you some erratic evil experiment gone haywire?"

"No."

"What about-"

"Hey, focus here." Raph deflected his probing. "Tell me why the mob _and_ Purple Dragons are after you."

That shut Jasper up quick. Raph went back to eating his pizza, pretending not to care. Anybody that tried snatching a kid needed a beat down, but now it was a matter of making sure that it didn't happen again. To do that, effectively, he needed more background on what he'd stepped into tonight.

"I work for them."

Raph choked on his sausage. "Say what!?"

"It's not like I have a choice." Jasper rushed, unhappy with Raph's reaction. "I've told them 'no' before." He pointed at the greasy pizza box. "Try being upright after four days without food."

Well, that explained his lack of muscle.

"Ok, start at the beginning." Raph cleared his head, taking his sai back. "You said you've been here for ten months, right? Where're you from, Jasper?"

"New Jersey. Where Mom's family's from. And that's all I've ever told them because it's my dad's mom that I want to go live with."

 _Smart._ Raph agreed. "Your grandma live in New York?"

"Connecticut."

Raph nodded. "We'll come back to that. Why would the Russian mob need you to do anything for them? No offense."

Jasper avoided eye contact. "They- Anthony the leader, and the others- need me to hack. Like, into whatever mainframe that they put in front of me. It's always been super easy for me, like, since I was five."

Great, a miniature of Donatello, only dressed cooler.

"How'd the mob find out about you?" Raph asked.

He didn't expect Jasper's eyes to narrow and burn with a sudden anger. "Dad was taking me to see… he was supposed to…" He crushed his fists against the floor, taking a breath before continuing. "Dad promised I could meet my grandma for the first time. We were traveling through the city when Dad stopped by a pub. He introduced me to Anthony Palvski, said he needed his computer fixed.'

'Dad had always used my 'gifts' to make extra money." Jasper stated nonchalantly. "I didn't think about it, just did my thing. Only, when I was done… my dad was gone. Anthony had given him enough dough to buy a private island."

His dad had _SOLD_ him to the Russians!? That was all kinds of messed up. Raph grinded his own knuckles into the floor. "And you still wanna meet your grandma?"

Jasper blinked out of his stupor, confused. "Yeah… she's my grandma."

"You're not afraid she'll be like your dad?" Raph asked. He knew this kid had thought of it before.

Jasper's chin set itself again, like it had in the alley. "Mom always talked good about her. She said not to let Dad's actions speak for others. And, what'd I have to lose? If I make it out, they'll look for me in New Jersey."

"True, but…" Raph dropped the sentence with the queasy feeling in his chest. _No, this has nothing to do with Emma. Her situation is nothing like this!_

"Let me guess," Raph switched the topic. "Anthony kept promising you could leave after this one job, but it's not happening."

Jasper nodded. "It's just been one PC after another. I think it's like running background checks on those he does deals with on the black market; some are international accounts. Others are from Chicago, Sacramento, or right here in New York."

Raph wondered at that existence. Did he go to school, have friends? Those were luxuries that Raph and his brothers couldn't afford, but Jasper… "Where do you get all of this done?"

"Different offices across the city." Jasper shrugged. "Mostly, the laptops are brought to Anthony's house in Brighton Beach."

"Anybody hang out there that sticks out?" Raph asked. "There more then others, or gives you orders that isn't Anthony?"

Jasper was chewing again, thinking. "A steroid freak with blond sissy hair and an inferiority complex. He tag teams with Anthony quite a bit."

Raph grinned, pointing to his left shoulder. "Scary dragon tat?"

"Yeah."

Hun, leader of the Purple Dragons, rubbing shoulders with a head figure of the Russian mob. Looked like the rumors were true.

"I'd been waiting a month to run." Jasper finished. "And… that's when you showed up."

They sat in silence with these facts, Raph knowing what he needed to do. "You know where your grandma lives, kid?"

"It's Jasper! Geez, I'm two years younger then you."

"You said thirteen."

"Fourteen in April." Jasper puffed out his chest.

"Whatever." Raph waved it off. "You gotta address or not?"

"Not." Jasper admitted in a frustrated sigh. "Just her name, Barbara Tyler."

That would be a job for Donnie. Raph stood up, giving the dusty and unfeeling station a once over. "Look, I got a buddy that I can ask about your grandma. He can find anybody, anywhere. Why don't we call it a night. Stay put, got it?"

Jasper's face turned anxious, standing. "Sure… but, where are you…"

A loud cluster of revving motorcycles stopped his question. Raph had thought that he'd heard some making a gradual approach, but with their dull roar growing louder, he was finding it odd for a biker gang to be out this late. He hurried to the window, Jasper at his heels, and peeked through the boards. Sure enough, motorcycles were pouring down the road- and turning into the station! There was no surrounding lights to give faces, but a quick count of headlights put twenty-one bikes parking between the defective fuel pumps.

 _Russians don't ride motorcycles._ Raph's throat dried. _But how did they find us? No way they just guessed! They're not that lucky or that smart!_

Raph tapped Jasper's shoulder and motioned for him to collect the pizza box. He threw it away and slipped them back into a small hallway at the back of the station. There were a few ceiling tiles stacked against the wall and Raph pointed to a hole above their heads. Raph cupped his hands for Jasper's foot. "I cleared a path that goes up to the roof."

"Pretty big path." Jasper smirked.

"I don't _have_ to save your butt." Raph growled, hoisting him up to crawl into the hole. "Stay there and wait for me."

"You're kinda out-numbered." Jasper pointed out as the engines cut off, one by one.

"And I've never lost a fight." Raph reminded him, rolling his shoulders.

"With my luck, this'll be your first." Jasper looked ahead at the hole he needed to follow.

"Just go!" Raph hissed as crowbars started prying at the padlocked front doors. Raph moved himself behind the counter, sais gripped and at the ready. _Bring it on!_


	4. Chapter 4

Leo switched off the blaring TV, well aware that he was cutting Mikey and Don off from the level they'd been slaying through. But Donnie and Mikey were slumped and snoring on the couch, so they wouldn't want to kill him until the morning. Donnie had managed to draw Mikey out of his funk and they'd been battling across the red sands of _Mars Solo_ when Leo had fallen asleep. He woke up three hours later to find the screen still glowing.

 _No wonder Master Splinter sleeps in the way back._ Leo eyed the little tunnel, cut off from the rest of them by the oriental rug they had found for him. Leo's eyes then trailed to the other end of the lair, on his way back to his room. Past the slide and up into Mikey and Raph's room. He saw the outline of their bunk beds- and he saw that Raph wasn't in his. The lousy hothead.

Leo felt himself truly torn in this situation. Knowing that Mikey had bought and kept a necklace intended for Emma worried him. Mikey was really hung up on her and the sooner her moved on the better. Emma clearly had, for distance sake if nothing else. And after the way they'd treated her, Leo didn't see her coming back. Did Mikey see that? Or did he not want to?

Yet, Mikey's lingering affections hadn't caused him to be any more or less distracted and annoying. And he still helped out on patrols, kept up with their trainings... and Leo and Donnie used this as an excuse to indulge him because, in the end, they were all softies. Raph didn't know the meaning of the word 'indulge'. He just knew his opinion and wanted everyone else to agree with it.

"Why do you think it is that Raphael bunks with Michelangelo?"

Leo near jumped out of his shell, finding Master Splinter standing beside him. "Wh- how… why do my ninja skills fail me every time?"

Master Splinter gave a knowing smile.

"I thought you were asleep, sensei."

"With that racket." Master Splinter growled at the TV. "How many times do I tell you boys, in a week, to keep it down after 10pm."

Leo grinned, giving a sheepish shrug. Master Splinter nodded back towards Raph's room. "It's obvious that Michelangelo is skilled at irritating Raphael. So why does Raph put up with rooming with him?"

"I couldn't tell you, Dad." Leo's shrug deflated in exasperation. "No one can tell what that meathead's thinking."

Master Splinter joined his hands behind his back. "Don't dismiss him so quickly. It's not just a meathead, but a brother that you speak of. He does care."

"You try speaking to him then." Leo suggested.

"I listen, actually." Master Splinter told him. "Sometimes it's more effective. Raphael doesn't process emotions like the rest of us. He prefers not to because he doesn't always understand their purpose. They conflict what makes sense to him. Course, this leads to explosions of varying size."

Leo had witnessed many sizes of Raphael's explosions. "But sensei, this' getting old."

He sat down on the steps to his room, coming eye to eye with his father. "We blew it with Emma. Raph's the only one who hasn't admitted it."

"And he won't until he sees that error for himself." Master Splinter patted him on the shoulder. "I don't fear for your bond as brothers, as I have in the past. Raphael will see the light… like the rest of you boneheads."

Leo's head snapped up. "Dad!"

Master Splinter headed back to his room, chuckling. "Hey, I liked her. She introduced me to Tea of the Month Club."

 **Yeah, I know it's short, but it was a snippet that happened in-between all of the action. Like it so far? I enjoy hearing y'all's thoughts (even the criticizing ones).**


	5. Chapter 5

**Back to the action!**

Six minutes into the fight and not a shelf in the station was left standing. Sure they'd been bolted down, but a couple of good heaves took care of that. Raph high-blocked the bat before it smashed his head, kneeing the Dragon between the legs. Oh, the looks on their faces were so entertaining as they morphed in pain. It was like Whack-A-Mole, only more interactive.

"Why'm I not surprised?" the husky voice of Hun growled as his gigantic frame filled in the double front doors. "No matter what the occasion, you freaks always manage to land yourselves in the middle of it. What've I done to deserve such attention?"

Raph shoved another Purple Dragon back, clearing some room. Unlike the Shredder, Hun liked a little field exercise. Hun cracked his right knuckles. "Normally I'd relish this opportunity, but I'm here on official Dragon business. Where's the kid?"

"Jasper." Raph corrected him. "He doesn't like 'kid'. And I don't like people who think they own kids."

Hun shrugged, stepping farther in. "You'll have to talk to Anthony about that."

"And you're here because…" Raph drove his elbow back into the Dragon that was trying to sneak up on him. Hun choose that moment to charge. Raph repositioned so they banged shoulders first. This was quickly followed by their fists. Raph found himself pushed up against the counter while trying to head butt the jerk back. _Why's he here? Do the Russians know?_

Raph gasped at the sudden pinch of pain across his left thigh. Hun grinned him down. "You're too nosy for your own good, freak."

"And… you're too slow to come up with good insults."

Raph found Hun's wrist and twisted the 8-inch knife out of his hand. He shoved Hun back, swiping a nail off the counter. Hun caught it coming for his eye and ducked. Raph dropped the nail and locked his hands on Hun's shirt. In a wild yell, he pushed until he'd crushed Hun through the glass door to the beer cave. Raph put a hand to his thigh, feeling the blood before he saw it. But he caught movement out of his peripheral and sucked it up to perform a backwards heel kick. He whipped a sai out to face the attack on his right- only to miss the Dragon coming at him from the left. A chain lashed out, breaking over his brow, sending the room in stars and black dots.

"Don't stop now! We finish him off, Hun might give us a raise!"

Raph was down on a knee, trying to regain focus. _Just try and take me down, scum!_

His blurred vision was suddenly illuminated. Bright yellows and oranges blasted through the cracks in the windows. There was also the boom of an explosion, all coming outside, in the direction of the parked cycles. The explosion was followed by three others, suspending the whole station in shafts of blinding light. Raph saw his chance and knocked the two Dragons down to get out the front doors. What met him were the smoking remains of several motorcycles, the Purple Dragons scrambling to beat back the flames from reaching the others. How had…

Raph whipped his head in all directions, blinking to get his 20/20 vision back. Nothing doing, but thankfully it didn't keep him from spotting Jasper. He stood on the outer edge of the mayhem, gaping at what (for sure) he had caused. Raph ran at him and yanked him to the closest, non-smoking bike. "Are you crazy!?"

"I… you were taking too long!" Jasper protested.

Raph's leg stung, but he swung it over the bike. Feeling for the keys, he fired up the ignition. "You better hang on!"

Jasper's hands gripped his shell as Raph released the clutch and tore out of that station before anyone could think to come at them. The road was blurred like all else, but Raph knew where he was going. He drove back into the city, skidding into the first alleyway that he could spot.

"What're we stopping for?" Jasper cried when the engine had died. "Raph man, they're right behind us."

Raph tenderly got off the bike, searching the seat compartment for something to tourniquet his thigh with. "What were you thinkin', huh!"

"We needed to get out of there." Jasper jabbed his thumb back. "I was able to sneak up, cut a few gas lines and I had some matches I stole from Anthony's kitchen…"

"And you could've gotten yourself killed!" Raph shouted at him, locating a wadded up shirt. "Tell me you've also got duct tape in that thing."

Jasper shrugged off his backpack. He knelt down and rummaged before pulling out a silvery roll. But instead of grabbing for it, Raph grabbed the backpack. "Matches too; we need to torch this thing."

"What!" Jasper jumped up, latching onto the pack. "No! This' my stuff!"

"The only way they could've found you, twice!" Raph held two fingers in Jasper's face. "Is if they were tracking you... That Hun guy, he ever give you anything?"

Jasper forgot about the pack for a moment, holding up his left wrist. It showed a digital watch face in a braided leather band. "This watch. I only kept it because I'm OCD about time- HEY!"

Raph dropped the pack and jerked the watch off of Jasper's arm. Then he dropped that and crushed it under his heel. "Anything else? What about your phone or computer?"

Jasper stared at the watch. "You just… like… what about my phone?"

"Focus, _kid!"_ Raph commanded Jasper's attention. "You escaped the Russians and by the looks of things, the Purple Dragons are hoping to find you before they do. Why?"

"I don't know." Jasper held his hands out helplessly, still stuck on the watch.

"You don't know?" Raph reapeted. "Don't give me that."

"I don't know!" Jasper knocked Raph back, mad now. "I don't know what they want! I don't know why this' happening to me, or why my dad-"

Jasper stopped and looked away, fists clenched. Raph leaned on the bike with a sigh. _Rein it in a little, Raphael._

"I'm just really good at computers." Jasper spoke, getting his bearings. "I could fix 'em faster then Mom. And she was an engineer."

What did that have to do with anything? Raph checked the mouth of the alley, but it was quiet. He began wrapping the shirt around his cut thigh. "What happened to your mom?"

Jasper sniffed. "Pneumonia. Bacterial infection, barely two years ago. She was tired. Dad wouldn't hold a job, so she paid the bills, cared for the house, me… she did everything."

Raph bit off a stretch of tape and secured the shirt over the cut. He wasn't sure what to do about his swelling eye, which was hurting his eyesight with every passing second. Even so, he was anxious to get elsewhere. The Purple Dragons would be right on their tail.

"I'm sorry." Raph told Jasper, standing up, testing his weight. Jasper rubbed at his eyes. "Yeah, how'd you think I feel?"

"Lessons in self-respect, much?" Raph huffed at him.

"Classes in sensitivity, much." Jasper folded his arms. "I don't even know why I said anything."

"What, you wanted me to whip out a tissue? Look, crap happened to you. But instead of whining about it, we're gonna do something about it. Tonight. Then you won't have to worry about it anymore. Promise."

Jasper stepped back from him, disbelieving. Well, if proving it meant kicking more butt, Raph was up for it. He worked out the breathability of his bandage. " I care, Jasper. I care enough to make sure no mobster or dragon ever bothers you again."

He looked the kid head on as he stated this, waiting for him to bite. Jasper's posture eased the slightest. "You gotta plan to do that?"

Raph paused. "I'm… working on it."

Jasper turned away, shaking his head. "And no, they can't track my phone or computer. I took out the GPS and enabled my own encryption."

Well, that was something.

"In any case, we gotta move." Raph walked over to the fire escape. He wasn't relishing the climb up with his leg. "We can't go joyriding through the streets, so…"

Jasper started from being bent over his backpack. "Uh, no. Not again."

"Not a choice." Raph picked him up and tossed him over his shoulder.


	6. Chapter 6

"Raph," April's voice yawned through his shell cell. "It's… 2am."

"Hear me out and I swear you'll forgive me." Raph promised her. "Russian mob, Brighton Beach, Anthony Palvolv."

April was quiet before her voice came back, a little more charged. "You said Anthony Palvolv? He moved to New York in 2011 from Chicago, naming himself as the new manager of the Russians' operations in the city."

She never failed to impress with her vault of knowledge. Raph peeked over at Jasper, who was looking out over the skyscrapers. Raph had taken them back up into Manhattan, into a congested area, before phoning April. With his left eye out of commission, the trip had been iffy at times, but he hadn't told the kid that.

"No clue what he's been doing since getting here?" Raph went back to April.

"Nothing that can be proven." April sighed. "You remember that massive gunfight that took place in September last year? The Foot and the Purple Dragons both lost a lot of men that night. My theory is that that was when Hun began putting out feelers for a neighboring general to help him take Shredder down. Maybe Anthony Palvolv was his answer."

"Ok." Raph thought aloud. He was still watching Jasper, a plan forming. A risky one. "April, what if I got you proof that Hun and Palvolv _have_ been working together?"

"When!?"

"Less then forty-eight hours."

Another pause, but Raph knew he had her. "You need a wire?"

"Naw, Donnie's got a recorder on our shell cells." Raph squinted at Jasper, who'd pulled out his laptop.

"Be careful." April stressed.

"Always." Raph grinned and hung up.

"Raph!" Jasper exclaimed from behind his screen. "You're buds with April O'Neil!?"

"What?" Raph rushed over, knocking his fingers off of the keys. "What're you thinking?"

"I told you, I encrypted my signal. And I'm piggy-backing off the building's wifi. Seriously though, April O'Neil? She's so hot-"

Raph knocked his beanie off. "Is there a reason you've entered geek mode?"

"I just wanted to hack into your phone." Jasper admitted. He flinched at Raph's face. "What, hacking calms me when I'm nervous. You're not exactly brimming with a brilliant plan right now."

Raph jutted his chin at him as Jasper put his beanie back on. "I'm open to suggestions."

"Just that the bad guys won't catch me if they're in jail."

"Really?" Raph exaggerated an interested look. "That your only conclusion."

Jasper glared. "Just saying, what if we helped the cops to finally catch 'em? Anthony and Hun have been talking about some take-out dinner next week. Anthony kept saying that I'd be the guest of honor."

Raph took that in. "No idea what the 'dinner' is about?"

"No." Jasper stopped typing. "And if I were to try and get in to find out, they'd know about it."

"You might not have to." Raph watched the skyline, turning his thoughts over with the changing lights. "I think I got a plan… FYI, you might not like it though."

Jasper looked up at him wearily. Raph waved the look off. "Trust me."

}{}{}{20 Minutes Later}{}{}{

Jasper forced his heart rate down, but it wasn't a natural reaction for what Raph was having him do. He was at the gate in front of Anthony's Brighton Beach townhouse, waiting for Vasili to let him in the yard. The thought of stepping back in there was the equivalent of watching the aliens descending on Earth in _Independence Day._ He had resisted at first- like, Bastille Day resistance- but Raph said it was the only way to end this tonight and get him to Grandma's by morning.

 _Taking the word of a mutated, vigilante turtle._ Jasper shuttered as Vasili led him in by the scruff of his neck. _I truly am desperate._

He just kept thinking how Raph knew someone who could find his grandma. Jasper let that hope dangle in front of him like a carrot as he and Vasili mounted the townhouse's steps. Moriz, the doorman with cinder blocks for arms and legs, opened the front door for them. Jasper nodded at him. "Moriz. Still only beef, I see."

Vasili snorted. "Your American sense of humor, it's invigorating Jasper. Really."

Jasper forced a smile, but shook him off, entering the front sitting room. Vasili's hand came back and shoved him onto the couch. He left, taking Jasper's backpack with him. It'd already been emptied of anything Jasper wanted to keep safe. Unsure of what to do with his hands, which were always busy typing, Jasper put them in his pockets. There was only one question on his mind; what if this didn't work?

Raph had explained that they were going to pressure them into moving the 'dinner' up. They'd already be on edge with his running away and now he needed to play the mob's nerves against the Purple Dragon's actions. And the police would be there to witness the whole thing.

That was Jasper's job; to get Anthony to move up the time table and the minute he was in front of a computer, send off an SOS to 1 Police Plaza. Like, one that would override their entire system. That was child's play… doing it under Anthony's nose would take the guts of Rambo, which he didn't have. Jasper stood up at the heavy clunk of footsteps coming down the hallway; Anthony liked people to acknowledge when he entered.

The pale Russian strode into the room swiftly, stopping in front of Jasper. His black side burns rose and fell with a heavy sigh. "Oh, Jasper."

His hand with the three gold rings smacked Jasper on the right side of his face. It sent him back on the couch, vibrating his cheek with pain. Did one of the rings cut him this time? Jasper didn't cry; he'd never give Anthony the satisfaction.

"I believe that I do my best by you, Jasper." Anthony rubbed his hand, like the impact had hurt _him._ "Clothes, food, protection. You're earned this and more, helping us stay on top of things. The cyber world is a dizzying place, if one doesn't know what they're doing."

"Sometimes I wish that I didn't." Jasper slipped out. Anthony studied him a moment, then sat beside him on the couch. "It is not perfect, but one's life rarely is. And I am hurt that you would repay my generosity with running away."

"Well," Jasper forced a look at Anthony. "I'm back."

"Yes." Anthony smiled. "Care to tell me why?"

 _Shorten that sentence to 'Tell Me Now!'_ Jasper thought. But he put on a dejected expression. "The Purple Dragons came after me tonight. Twice. Hun told me that… he wanted to move up the time-table on something; act now while they had the upper hand."

He watched Anthony's face change from thoughtful to suspicious. "Did he say anything else?"

"He didn't get the chance." Jasper shook his head. "Some guy saved me…"

"The same one who 'saved' you from us." Anthony's brow peaked. "He's someone I'm very interested in learning about."

"Good luck," Jasper answered quickly. _Sell it, Jasper!_ "I ditched him. I… knew you could be the only one to solve this."

He didn't say anymore, just waited for Anthony to answer. Anthony rubbed at his chin, then slapped Jasper's shoulder with a grin. "You're a smart boy, Jasper. You're father was in the wrong to give you up."

That sounded like anything but a self-confidence boost.

Anthony lifted Jasper off the couch with his hand. "His loss is our gain. We'll talk about your guardian angel later. Get some rest; then I will show you what all this fuss is about."

 **Things are getting hyped up now, aren't they.**


	7. Chapter 7

"Raph, you're kinda scaring me." Donnie trudged toward his computers , fumbling to get his glasses on right. "Where are you getting all of these techno terms?"

"A very reliable source."

"So not Casey." Donnie pulled his chair up behind him. "Have you even been home tonight?"

"No." Raph stated simply. "And don't wait up. Look, I just need you to get me the dirt on the Russian mob outta Brighton Beach. Specifically, a guy named Anthony Palvolv."

Don paused his fingers over the keyboard. "Pause for crazy question… why?"

"Those rumors we been chasing." Raph explained. "About the Purple Dragons breaking bread with the mob? They're true. And they're gonna make a move against Shredder. Tonight."

Donnie had started leafing through his flies, coming to the copies of police paperwork he'd stored. "Let me guess. You're gonna watch the show."

"No!" Raph grunted his annoyance. "All I got right now is it involves computers, but I gotta find out what it is… so I can stop it."

"Stop-" Donnie couldn't finish. "Raph, you're the one who's always saying we should let the bad guys destroy each other."

"I know."

"You sure you're ok? You didn't travel to Jersey next to the flue of a steam ferry again did you?"

"Donnie." Raph warned. "It's too much to explain, ok. But I'm applying some pressure that'll get them to make their move _tonight._ What I need you to do is get a lock on Palvolv's phone when he leaves his place. Wherever he goes, we're gonna leak that info to the Purple Dragons, make 'em think they're getting double-crossed. They'll go charging to that location, where me, Leo, and Mikey will serve up some butt-whopping."

"What about me?" Donnie wondering why he was still listening to this foolhardy plan.

"The mob's got cops on their payroll." Raph blew out his breath. "Detectives that scout Brooklyn or Queens. I need you to find them. And place in a 911 call that'll get the mob and the Dragons arrested."

 _I don't know whether to encourage this or not._ Donnie looked behind him, where his family still slept. But Raph wasn't planning on keeping it secret from them anyway, so… "Anything else?"

"Yeah." Raph said. "An address. An old lady, Barbara Tyler, from Connecticut."

Now Donnie was completely lost. "What?"

"Just do it." Raph ordered him. "A little boy's happiness depends on it."

}{}{}{}{}{

Raph kept himself low on the roof, but his position was awfully tempting to his sleep-deprived brain. He'd read about trained snipers who created a dream space to keep them awake for seventy-two hours straight. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to wait that long. If Jasper had done his job and planted the seed of doubt in Palvolv's mind. Raph had never met this whack-job, but he'd be like any other bad guy. Not keen on betrayal or patience.

Raph squinted at the lights and shadows moving through Palvolv's house, despite the late hour. The two-car garage had lit up a minute ago; time to find out why. Raph slinked to the edge, where the townhouse rammed up against the next house. Seriously, there was maybe three feet between the chipped brick walls! He had to move forward, to the front corner, where he could shimmy down the rain gutter. His shell scrapped the neighboring brick, reminding him of the tight fit. But he had spotted a vent halfway down when he was scoping the place out. He reached it now and pressed his ear to the slotted metal. Everything came to him in a warble.

 _Ugh!_ Raph hissed. He closed his eyes, isolating the sounds, compartmentalizing one from the other.

"Schzek ti kovick!" a heated Russian accent hit came through first. "You want to know, you ask him."

"But he has us hauling this out at three in the morning!" another Russian complained.

"Something about a double cross." The first strained his voice, like he was lifting something heavy. "You know how Anthony gets if someone tries to best him."

Something else in Russian and the two voices laughed. Raph about laughed with them. _Just like I knew he would._

A sudden commotion took over and the voices hushed. Did they drop a part of their load? Raph pushed his ear closer to the vent. He was only rewarded with the vibrating of his shell cell. Raph readjusted his grip on the drain pipe before answering. "Don?"

"Get out!" Donnie shouted in his ear. "A security cam is looking at you right now! Hence, I'm looking at you right now, hence _they're_ looking at you right now!"

Raph's body stilled. "I- I found all the cameras-"

"Wrong! There's one linked to the front gate that alternates between the street and the front of the house. This's what happens when you try to do things yourself! Now GET OUT!"

 _I can't._ Raph thought about Jasper and knew it wasn't an option. But Raph also couldn't afford to get caught. He hung up on Donnie and started pulling himself back up the drain pipe. His shell caught twice, making Raph madder and sweatier each time. He was mere inches from the roof, when sudden brightness overcame him from above.

"WHAT is that!?" a man gasped.

Raph yanked a shuriken from his belt and sent it whizzing upward before anyone could answer. There was a clank, and then a flashlight hitting Raph on the head. He reached up into the returned darkness and found an ankle. Raph jerked on it and came up on the roof as the Russian fell over.

Someone else was coming at him from the left, but Raph didn't need to see to block his wild swing and send him back with a crooked jaw. Raph blinked, forcing his eyes to adjust; hard with only one eye operational. He caught the footsteps running at him and Raph spun out with a round-the-world kick. He only hit air.

That's where Raph heard the laughter. Before he was barreled into from the side and pushed back until he tittered on the edge of the townhouse. His good eye caught a smirked face. "Shoulda kept out of it, freak."

Hun? What? But-

Hun did little more then smack Raph to send him over the roof's edge. Raph's palms scrapped against the bricks as he fell, jerking to a stop when he became too big between the houses. Raph ignored the stinging and looked back up. Hun stood glowering over him, joined by the two Russians. One of which was screwing a silencer onto his gun!

 _Aw, man!_ Raph shook himself this way and that, anyway to un-wedge himself. He was _not_ going out in a surprise attack! That'd be like admitting that the bad guys were smarter then him! No freakin' way!

 _C'mon!_ Raph strained, his shell scooting a scant inch to the right. _C'mon!_

The Russian was taking aim, Hun still grinning. Raph's chest pounded tightly.

 _PHMM!_ went three bullets through the silencer.


	8. Chapter 8

**This chapter is all** **villain, making it my favorite to write for this story! Enjoy!**

Jasper was in his room with orders to get some sleep before 'the big show'. Anthony hadn't explained anything, like he'd said; just that they needed a couple hours to get things set up. Jasper thought there was no way that he'd sleep, but he was suddenly being shaken awake by a hand on his shoulder. It was Vasili, with his backpack.

"You didn't even change your clothes." Vasili, an unexplained germaphobic, wrinkled his nose at Jasper. "Must have been one crazy night for you."

 _And it's not even over._ Jasper pushed himself off of his stomach, rubbing hard at his eyes. "What'd you want?"

"Everything's ready." Was the only reply.

Jasper glanced at his bedside clock. 5:12am. Had Raph been waiting this whole time? Jasper's heartrate sped up as the last five hours came at him more vividly. If Raph could be trusted, he'd be done with this place in a couple of hours. Jasper didn't want to hope as much as he was, but he couldn't help it.

"Can I go to the bathroom first?" Jasper eyed Vasili, who grunted. "Hurry up."

Jasper did his business and even managed to brush his teeth before Vasili led him downstairs. Jasper got a good look into the rooms they passed, committing them to memory. He wanted to make sure that he never saw one like it again. Anthony's limo- well, half-limo with its own driver- awaited them in the garage. And there was Anthony, whose grin was too eager for this early in the morning.

"You're burning with questions, I'm sure." Anthony said once the three of them were inside and the driver was pulling them out of the garage. Jasper just waited and Anthony handed him a single sheet of paper. There were over a dozen lines across it, each an arrangement of numbers and letters that Jasper recognized instantly. "IP addresses."

"Twenty-one of them." Anthony crossed his legs on his end of the limo. "You've hacked a few of them before, when we attempted to plant a virus into Oruko Saki's system."

"Attempted." Jasper leaned his shoulder on the door, the cool glass of the window calming him through his sleeve. "Going at them again is going to get us the same results."

Anthony's grin remained where it was. "Jasper, what do these IPs have in common?"

"Oruko Saki." Jasper hated being quizzed like a four-year-old. Anthony nodded at him. "The majority are linked to his financial and technical manifests. Together, they are a virtual family tree of the past twenty-four years of Foot Clan business. The reason that we failed before, is that we weren't hacking them _in the right order._ "

 _You weren't hacking nothing!_ Jasper looked back at the paper. After a couple seconds, his techo-geek gears started turning. "It's a Russian nesting doll."

Vasili about guffawed and Anthony gave an excited clap. "Ironic, yes?"

"Yes." Jasper had to agree, forgetting about his impending freedom. It was a technique of cloaking they were talking about, used to hide real documents behind dummy accounts. Like the wooden dolls that opened you to another, smaller one until you reached the center, each one of these IP addresses was a layer- a firewall- you had to get around to reach the core. The kicker was that you _had_ to get around them in a specific order.

 _This' their big move against Shredder._ Jasper concluded. _Finally getting to the heart of his network._

"This is where your genius will come in." Anthony leaned in to get him eye-to-eye with Jasper. "You're going to break us past each and every one until we reach the real McCoy."

Jasper's throat stuck as he swallowed. "Sorry?"

"We're going to that office property I bought." Anthony went on. "There's a special basement floor we've set up. Servers, cooling tunnels…"

"Are you nuts!" Jasper cried, earning him a squeeze on the shoulder from Vasili. But Jasper only batted him off. "Anthony, even if these IPs are in the right order, you know how long just one of them could take to break through!"

"You beat your personal best last week." Anthony shrugged his shoulders.

"89 minutes!" Jasper about ripped the paper, he was holding it so tight. "Times that by twenty-one, at best and what'd you get? And the hacking has to be constant, it can't be interrupted. Anthony, I can't stay up that long-"

"Why not?" Anthony had an exaggerated confusion covering his face. "You have somewhere to be?"

Jasper felt like telling him 'yes'.

"Connecticut, perhaps."

Jasper's heart missed a beat, jerking his whole chest. He looked up at Anthony, who in this whole time, hadn't stopped smiling. "That's where you wanted your friend to take you, right? When the bus station failed."

He knew. Of course he did. Why had Jasper hoped for a different result?

"What's in Connecticut, Jasper?" Vasili leaned on his shoulder, like an old confidante. "Where was your friend taking you?"

"I…" Jasper tried to form a defense.

"You ditched him, I know." Anthony crossed his legs the other way. "Or, maybe he ditched you."

At this, Anthony took a length of cloth from his front pocket and flicked it at Jasper. Jasper caught it and paled at the red and ragged color. Raph had been wearing this; Jasper got the impression that he never took it off.

"Hun came to my door, telling me of a squatter on my roof." Anthony said, his smile cold as his tone. "Seems he managed to plant a tracker on this… creature last night. Lucky for me because I got to have a talk with him."

A talk. Jasper tried to look nonchalant as he looked up from the do-rag. "How'd it feel when he beat you?"

"Do I look beat to you." Anthony's smile shortened. "Turns out, once I explained the situation, he was very understanding, this Raphael. He accepted the 20k with pleasure… before I killed him, that is. He had just been causing so much trouble…"

Jasper looked back down at the red rag, like it might explain things better. 20,000 dollars was what Anthony paid when he needed somebody to keep their mouth shut. Jasper had seen it done with lots of people, to keep his existence a secret.

"He wouldn't do that." Jasper insisted. Anthony pressed his fingers together in a sad formation. "I'm afraid he would, Jasper. He just didn't think that you were worth the trouble."

Jasper's chest continued to grow tight, his hand clenching the rag without meaning to. Anthony reached out again, covering Jasper's hand with his own. "I did you a favor, Jasper. Taught you something very important about trust."

Jasper threw the rag at Anthony, pushing himself as far back as the seat would let him. Anthony and Vasili let him be as Jasper fought back the sinking feeling of never getting out. He'd be kept here, under Anthony's thumb, until he outlived his usefulness. With Raph, he'd thought…

Jasper stared hard out of the window, angry at the tears he felt. That was what he got for hoping.


	9. Chapter 9

"Did Raph say why he needed you to do this?" Leo looked over Donnie's screens as he was trying to push his way back into some Russian's security system. He'd been as it ever since his Trojan had been discovered and killed.

"No, he didn't." Donnie moved his mouse over, moving one screen along with and onto a bigger one.

"Has he answered his phone?" Master Splinter broke in, his voice steady- with worry.

"No." Donnie repeated in more agitation.

Leo looked over at his father, placing a hand on his shoulder. Mikey shared a look with Klunk, whom he held, and who meowed up at him. "So… how do we get Raph back?"

"Raph's missing?"

They all turned to find April unclipping her helmet behind them. She jumped up onto the platform, in a shirt, jacket, and tennis shoes over her pajama bottoms. She looked from one to the other, awaiting an answer to her question.

"We don't know that he's actually in trouble." Leo cautioned. "Course, if he went in not knowing all the facts… it's more then likely."

"What're you doing here?" Mikey's eyebrows peaked at her attire. "Finally rocking that slumber party look, Angel Cakes."

April gave him a bunny-nose wrinkle. "Raph called me; promised me some gold on the mob out of-"

"Brighton Beach." Donnie finished for her. "His last location. Specifically, an Anthony Palvolv's house."

April sighed. "He said he had proof that Palvolv had joined forces with the Purple Dragons. That he was going to 'convince' them to hit Shredder's network tonight."

"Well, tonight's almost over." Master Splinter stated.

That picked up the pace. Donnie zeroed in on a map of the Brooklyn/Queens border. Two red dots beamed on it and Donnie pointed up at the mobile one. "Raph knew that Palvolv would make his move at a secondary location. That's got to be where he's headed now…" He traced his finger to the other dot. "But Raph, isn't following him."

April cut into that thought. "He either dropped it or he's too busy kicking butt to answer."

"Ok then," Leo took charge before their minds could go too far. "April, call Casey. Have him meet Mikey at Palvolv's to check on Raph. Donnie, you and I will tail Palvolv."

"You, Donatello, and I." Master Splinter corrected him. His expression didn't leave room for debate.

Leo nodded to April. "April, you take over here. When Palvolv stops, text that location to Raph, Mike and Casey. We keep our comms open and stick to the shadows. Palvolv may not know us, but Hun does. If he's already run into Raph, he'll be expecting us. We don't give him that advantage. Let's go."

Mikey saluted him with Klunk on his shoulder. "Aye Aye!"

}{}{}{}{}{

Demyan thought that he had seen it all since coming to America. But this country continued to surprise him. He peeked over to stare down at the half-animal, half-human that was stuck to the side of Anthony's house. "What do you call that?"

"You really think there's a term for it?" Stas eyed it with equal disgust. "We need to dump it either way."

"How?" Demyan gestured. "It's huge."

"We start by getting it out of there. It'll be light soon enough."

Stas didn't need to emphasize. Everyone else had gone on to secure the building, leaving them with the cleanup. They had lost the toss. Demyan and Stas each dropped a grappling hook, taking a few tries to catch on the shell. Now it was a matter of hauling the lifeless mass out from between the houses.

"Moye solvo, will I have something to write home about." Demyan laughed through his panting. Stas saved his breath and with one final tug, they got the first half over the edge. Man, was it ugly! "Pull it up."

"You." Demyan backed up. "I'm not touching that zlovoniye!"

"Printsessa." Stas sighed. He looped up his rope, keeping it taught as he drew closer. There was a head, a shoulder, and arm. He went for the arm and yanked it up to its waist. It was cold, therefore dead. It didn't ease him in any way. He glanced back at Demyan. "One more yank. 1, 2,-"

"3." Came a grunt.

And the arm shot up, squeezing Stas' throat shut. Demyan cried out as the thing rose. It was taller then Stas by inches and glared with ticked hazel eyes. Stas kicked out at it, but it was like pure rage was holding it solid.

"How…" Demyan squeaked. "How are you alive?"

A smirk came over its face. "Oh, you know us ugly reptiles. Thick skin."

Stas didn't have the liberty to grasp what that meant. He was hurled back into Demyan and tried to regain his footing as the creature stepped closer. Hands shaking, Stas pulled his gun from its holster. "Disgusting…"

"Aw dude, he can't help it."

Stas spun, only to be met with a wooden shampoo.

}{}{}{}{}{

"RAPH!" Mikey crushed his big bro in a crazy side hug, almost tipping him back over the edge. The two Russians lay dazed and dumbfounded- and unconscious- across the roof, leaving Casey to twirl his bat back into his hockey bag.

"You're not dead!" Mikey exclaimed, trying to hold on as Raph wormed away.

"What're ya thinking, not answering your shell cell." Casey half-yelled at him. "You scared April to death!"

"Ok, ok," Raph jammed a hand into Mikey's face. "Get off! Dude, personal space!"

Mikey let go, only to take in the shape that his brother was in. There was a goose egg with dried blood over his left eye, a bloody shirt duct-taped to his right thigh, and an open graze that had painted his left shoulder crimson. He looked like the last survivor of the zombie apocalypse. And, there was something else…

"Bro," Mikey's eyes bulged. "Where's your bandana?"

"Like I'd know." Raph touched his bald head, lingering on his lump. "I was checked out for awhile. Catch me up here; where's Donnie?"

"He and Leo and Master Splinter are trailing Anthony Provolone."

"Palvolv." Raph glared at him. Mikey pouted. "Whatever."

"They know where he's headed?" Raph craned his neck, wincing.

"April's gonna text us when he stops." Casey told him, getting a closer look at Raph's wounds. "I've always wanted to brain a couple dozen mobsters… Raph, you want to sit down or something? April makes me keep some antibiotic in my bag."

"Yeah, sure," Raph looked up with a hiss. "April makes you. All I need is a few rounds with Hun. Let's go."

"Raph," Casey started, but Mikey waved his hands at him. _Just indulge, dude. There's no stopping him._

Casey sighed. "We know he's headed through Queens."

"That's enough." Raph assured them. "Try and keep up."

Mikey sighed as Raph ran past them. "And I thought any head trauma would make him rational."

 **Raph's alive... oh... you can breathe now.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Short chapter, I know. But this was stuck between the action sequences and there was no other way to separate it. I wouldn't be a good writer if I didn't keep my readers well-informed on ALL the angles of the story.**

 **}{}{}{}{}{**

"Palvolv's cell stopped." April announced the second Leo picked up her call. "#27, 103rd Avenue."

Leo squinted in puzzlement. "That's pretty residential. What's there?"

"Amid all the apartments is an office building." April spoke over the thumping of typing. "I hate to have you guys fly blind, but satellite's not giving me anything that stands out. Certainly not how many you could be facing."

Leo wasn't too worried about that. Fighting Purple Dragons was little more then a training exercise for them.

"Mikey's calling." Don shouted before he dive-bombed onto a lower roof along Rockaway Boulevard. Master Splinter was not far behind, stunning both of them with his agility from one rooftop to another. This couldn't have been his first time top-side. Leo followed after them on a clothesline, which really shouldn't be done with one hand. "April, give us thirty minutes, then dispatch the police after I confirm the address."

"And my news van." April reminded him. Leo rolled his eyes as he let go of the line. "And your van."

April's smile went through the phone. "Oh, we're going to nail this! Be careful!"

Leo hung up with her, knowing her next call would be to Vern. He zigzagged his way through some chimney stacks and leaped the usual alley to catch up with Dad and Donnie. "#27, 103rd Avenue."

Donnie repeated the address into his own cell. Then had Mikey repeat it back. And then a third time. Leo and Master Splinter caught each other's eye and shook their heads. After this process, Donnie clicked off, face rejuvenated. "Raph's banged up and seething, to say the least, but they're only a couple miles out. He says to watch out for a blond kid, Jasper."

Leo kept his stride, nodding to the intersection they had coming up. "What's a kid got to do with it?"

"Probably has to do with that woman he wants me to look up." Donnie said. "He said a little boy's happiness depended on it."

"Softie." Leo smirked.

"Oh yeah." Donnie agreed before they and Master Splinter spun out onto the wires that crisscrossed the intersection. None of them broke speed until they reached 103rd Ave, between 10th and 11th Street. #27 was as mundane of an office building as one could get, down to its chalk-gray exterior. Except that it had a mini, black limo and several motorcycles lining its curbs.

"That's subtle." Donnie gave a dry chuckle. "The police know every motorcycle the Dragons ever owned."

"They're either in too big a rush or willing to take the risk." Master Splinter observed.

Leo scanned the front of the building. "Going up against Shredder isn't risk enough?"

They all noted the ground floor, where blinds created dim lights from within, that matched the dim horizon. Master Splinter's hair bristled at the sight of pink over the buildings. "We haven't much time. I will not have the risk of others cause risk to my family. You boys create enough of that on your own. Donatello, the way in?"

"I see a door on the west side." Donnie adjusted his night-vision goggles. "Probably leads to a basement. And it's guarded, like I'm sure that front room is."

"We'll face them soon enough." Leo said. "Hun thinks that everyone attacks the same way he does; full frontal. Don, you zap the guard and I'll fall the door?"

Donnie eyed him. "Do you hear yourself when you talk like that?"

"You really wanna go there, Einstien?"


	11. Chapter 11

"Let's get to it." Anthony placed Jasper into the chair that faced the screen. It was one of three, backed up against the afore mentioned servers. It was all there as he had said, the cooling tunnels and a fat snake of wires webbing across the floor. He had to have been prepping for this for a couple of months.

Jasper took it all in, drawing the same sickening conclusion. It was all to make Anthony more rich, powerful, and unstoppable. So he'd be able to ruin more lives, like his. Maybe even worse. Even with his mind still reeling from the conversation in the limo, Jasper couldn't not think about his last ten months. They'd been a titter-totter between life and death; life if he went along with Anthony, death if he didn't.

"Something wrong?" Anthony asked slowly. "They're already online and warmed up for you."

Jasper felt the do-rag, wadded up in his pocket. He'd picked it up off the floor of the limo and now it was reminding him of the plan Raph had cooked up. The email address to 1 Police Plaza, Raph had had him memorize it. It would allow the cops a viewing window of sorts, as he broke down the firewalls. They'd use this link to trace back to him… they'd have the place on lockdown in fifteen minutes…

Was that his way out?

Someone jouslted the chair and Jasper gripped it, looking up. Beside Vasili was that tall building of a Purple Dragon, Hun, staring down his fat nose at him. "Something on your mind, kid?"

He'd taken too long to answer. But neither of them knew enough to notice if he slipped the address in first… right? "Just… getting myself ready."

Anthony ran hand over his face, watching him. "Jasper, now isn't the time for angst."

"Yeah." Jasper moved his hands over the keys and took another breath before typing. The screen re-awakened and awaiting the first command.

"Vasili, organize the boys into shifts." Anthony's tone relaxed. "Not a door or window goes unwatched."

"My dragons can take the second floor." Hun did little more then grunt. To which Anthony laughed. "Keep your muscle on the ground. I'll have my men cover our ramparts."

Hun's moment of silence told them he didn't know what ramparts meant. "The Dragons take orders from me and they'll cover the second floor."

"Ah, but your dragons were invited into _my_ building." Anthony reminded him.

Jasper knew this moment was his only chance, his only distraction. He spread out the paper with the IPs, pretending to copy from it. He punched in his code for an override of the system he wished to target, ending it with the IP address for 1 Police Plaza. Anthony and Hun were still going back and forth as Jasper lingered his finger over ENTER.

"That's not on the paper."

Why had he lingered!? Jasper glanced up at Vasili, who _had_ lingered back, waiting for concise orders. "Yes it is."

He went for ENTER again, but Vasili grabbed his hand. "Anthony!"

Jasper dove across with his other hand and pressed ENTER. Vasili grabbed both of his wrists as Anthony stepped over. "Undo it, now!"

"What'd he do?" Hun demanded, squeezing his insane body mass in.

"Jasper," Anthony eyed the screen, confirming its command. "I said this wasn't the time for angst. Whatever that was, undo it."

"I can't." Jasper shrugged, leaning back in the chair. Only to have his neck gripped and his body thrust forward on the keys by Hun. "Maybe with a better look, you can. Or I can just make you."

"By what?" Jasper eyed Hun back. "Breaking my fingers?"

It was amazing, the courage one found in a hopeless situation. Hun's face went scarlet, but Jasper only smirked, turning his head to Anthony. "Or maybe you'll starve me? I can last eight days, Anthony, you know that. Do you have eight days?"

Anthony laughed an amused laugh. "I think I've rubbed off on you, Jasper. You've learned a thing or two about leverage."

"We don't have time for this." Hun barked, tightening his hand around Jasper's neck.

"All the time in the world." Anthony waved that off. "Who can know that we're here?"

"You don't know those shellbacks." Hun's eyes narrowed with hate. But Anthony ignored him, drawing his hand off of Jasper and leaning in close. "I'm admiring the stand you're taking Jasper, truly. But consider the decision you're forcing me to make."

Jasper braced himself for the punch that was coming.

"Driving all the way up to Connecticut," Anthony spoke slowly. "And smothering that sweetheart grandmother of yours-"

He knew! Jasper's mind snapped then. He flew out of the chair, both fists flying at Anthony. Anthony easily got control of those fists and pinned Jasper against the desk. "You have two choices here, Jasper. Die alone or die know that your grandma still thinks about you."

 _If she even does._ Jasper's throat swelled in a bitter loneliness. Was he going to die with that feeling? He stayed rigid, until he had to break eye contact with Anthony. What was the use; the loneliness had been there long before Anthony.

"Let him go."

Vasili's arm wrapped around Jasper's throat- which was still bruising from Hun's hand- as Anthony and Hun spun around. The lights were dim to accommodate the bright screens of the computers, but Hun cussed at the three figures stalking toward them. Jasper stared, his vision half-blocked by Anthony's back.

"There's no holidays with you freaks, is there." Hun cracked his knuckles, rage bulging up the veins of his arms.

"Hun." A tall turtle- as mutated as Raph- with glasses acknowledged the dragon leader with disgust. "Our brother's looking for you. Seems you took something of his."

The lump of cloth in Jasper's pocket suddenly felt bigger. Wait, brother? Jasper's confusion almost numbed him to the feel of Vasili's 9mm poking his ribs.

"Would you be the one who shot my son?" a voice belonging to a ginormous rat spoke to Hun. Hun snorted at it. "And if I am?"

A second turtle with drawn ninja swords chuckled. "Then I don't envy you when he gets here."

"He'll only get here to find you dead!" Hun growled before he lowered his mouth to his collar. "Dragons, move in on the basement."

Jasper was pushed back into his chair as Hun charged forward, clotheslining the glasses turtle. Vasili's gun moved up to his chest, right over his heart. "Get typing."

"Are you dented?" Jasper about laughed. "It's over."

Anthony sent a shot out, causing the creatures to duck out of the way.

"You think they're gonna save you?" Vasili snorted. "You'll be dead before they can blink."

"And your boss will be out Shredder's empire."

At that, Anthony switched places with Vasili, placing his own gun into Jasper's chest. "Shredder's empire will end one way or another. All empires do; they change hands, gain new leaders, or fall to more powerful rulers. It's an interesting circle. And you don't want to be on the wrong side of it."

A shadow behind Anthony caught Jasper's attention. One of the turtles must've gotten around Vasili. Were they faster then a bullet? Did it even matter at this point?

"I'm done." Jasper puffed out his chest.

"Little-"

Anthony was cut off with a one-handed lift from the floor. He turned his gun, but Raph's hand dislocated his wrist, dropping it to the ground.

"Uh, yeah!" another turtle jumped out from behind Raph, all in Anthony's face. "Yippie-ki-ya, Mother Russia!"

Seriously, how many of these turtle freaks existed? Jasper had just about reached his limit of weirdness for today. Raph pushed Anthony into his wise-cracking friend. "You good, Jasper?"

"Y-Yeah?" Jasper guessed. "I- I sent that thing to the cops… I'm sorry, you _have brothers?"_

"You didn't see the family resemblance?" a masked freak- no, wait human!- leaned on Raph's shoulder. "Then again, I'm adopted."

"What?"

Raph shoved the masked man off, moving him closer to the fight. "Quit scaring the children, go do something useful." He looked back down at Jasper. "Hey, nice work. Anything you can do with those computers, make it easier for the cops when they get here?"

Jasper glanced at the screens. "Sure."

"Get on it." Raph whirled out his sais and joined the fray. "Yo, Hun!"

Jasper watched as Raph shot forward and power punched the Purple Dragon, grinning all the way. The turtle with the swords had backed up toward the stairs to meet the dragons answering Hun's signal. That left Vasili to the crazed man with the mask on and… golf clubs?

 _I don't… I can't make sense of this._ Jasper gave up as he spun back to the screens. The cops would be here in six minutes, tops. He could have all of Anthony's dirty dealings waiting for them in four minutes. Jasper ducked as a bullet blasted the screen to his left. _If I survive that long!_


	12. Chapter 12

}{}{}{10 Minutes Later}{}{}{

"You enjoying this?" Raph watched Jasper's face with the first real smile he'd seen the whole night. It stayed as Jasper nodded. "I sure am."

They were across from the office building where the police were all but carrying Anthony, Hun, and the other mobsters and dragons that his family had left sprawled across the basement. Donnie, ever the genius, had wiped down the computers and the chair for any trace of Jasper's DNA, and here they were. Mikey had introduced everybody with his usual flair, but Jasper had stopped listening when he saw Anthony being led out.

"He'll get out." The smile faltered a little. "He'll rent some big lawyer-"

"No lawyer's gonna get him out of what's listed on those computers." Donnie told him. "That was smart, looping the police system into the source code of his files. Otherwise, they might have just run into his dummy accounts."

 _Yeah,_ Raph cheered for his brother. _Speak geek to him._

"Hun's another story," Mikey sidled up, squishing between Raph and Jasper. "Dude'll probably be out in 48 hours. He greases all hands the same way; top-grade, you know what I'm saying?"

Raph flicked the side of his head. "No Mikey, nobody knows what you're saying. And nobody wants to know."

"It's true." Mikey raised his hands in defense. "Dad! He hit me for telling the truth."

Master Splinter grinded his fingers into the corners of his eyes. "If you have the time my sons, perhaps you would care to CONCEAL OUR EXISTENCE BELOW GROUND!"

"Sorry Jasper." Raph picked the kid up, Donnie and Mikey already hauling shell. Jasper dug his fingers in. "Aw man, c'mon… WAIT!"

Raph stiffened. "What?"

Jasper pointed down into the street, eyes round. "That's her! That's April O'Neil! You said you were tight with her…"

Raph rolled his eyes and started running.

}{}{}{}{}{}{

It took two days for the initial hype to die off and for Donnie and Jasper to re-work his identity. They had eradicated everything from his birth certificate, to changing the number of his grandmother's land line. Yes, this had lead to showing him the lair- Master Splinter was still giving Raph glares about it. But where else was he to go? Besides, Donnie and Hacker JR. needed to all but wipe his existence out so the mob and Purple Dragons wouldn't come after him.

Anthony was in jail to stay- being suspected of eleven murders didn't make for small bail. Hun had made bail though, so Raph would be keeping an eye on him for a while. Right now though, he was eyeing the one-level white brick house that Casey was pulling them up to. 293 Sewell Lane, Wolcott, Connecticut. It was the address that Jasper couldn't stop staring at the entire ninety-minute drive up here.

The house looked safe enough; though, according to the internet, Barbara Tyler didn't live there. April had driven up with Casey to help explain the situation and Raph was there… even he wasn't sure. He was just someone who saw things through.

"Is… will she be ok with this?" Jasper swallowed from the seat beside Raph.

"Only one way to find out." Raph told him, shoving his backpack at him. "Best to drop the ball, get it over with."

"Or…" April twisted in the front seat to glare at Raph. "Take a few deep breaths first. Wrap your head around what you want to say. We don't have to go in until you want to."

"He's ready," Casey gestured nonchalantly pulling the van into park. "Don't coddle him."

"I'm not coddling." April turned her glare on Casey. "I'm being sensitive."

"And teaching him to be a wuss in the process."

"And who taught you _not_ to confront your mother about your girlfriends?"

"Ok!" Jasper grabbed his door handle. "I'm going, I'm going!"

Raph sat back as the three of them piled out, keeping his lax posture over the bittersweet goodbye he was looking to avoid.

He didn't have long to dwell, as Jasper tore the door open and slammed himself back in.

"Changed my mind!" he declared with panting breath. "I can't do this, man!"

Raph looked from him to the door. "What? Why?"

"Because she's gonna say no." Jasper looked at him with wide, terrified eyes. "She'll see me as nothing but trouble, want nothing to do with me."

"You said she's not like that."

"What'd I know?" Jasper pointed a frantic finger at his chest. "I'm thirteen."

"Fourteen in April." Raph joked.

Jasper didn't find it funny. Raph looked around the back of the van for an answer, then up in the front. He spotted April through the passenger window; staring. Oh great, she wanted _him_ to handle this. Raph stared back _NO!_ in her direction. April pointed towards Jasper and narrowed her eyes.

Raph huffed, pressing a finger to his temple. _Shoot me now!_

But April could do worse then that… she'd stop talking to him and giving those looks of utter disappointment…

"You won't know unless you try." Raph used the first movie cliché he could remember. Jasper caught onto it, peaking his blond eyebrows. "Really?"

"You think I wanna be havin' this conversation." Raph rubbed his whole palm over his face.

"I'll just come live with you guys…"

"No, you won't." Raph said, perhaps too forcibly. He reined himself in, collecting his thoughts. "Jasper… she's your family. You should at least give her a chance."

Jasper looked side to side, like he had options to consider. "But, Raph, what if she's like my dad. Like you said."

"Forget what I said." Raph laughed at himself. "I'm an idiot, I've never met her. You can't let your dad's actions speak for other people. You gotta… give 'em a chance."

Jasper gave him a weird look as Raph's eyes faded into several months ago and he banged his head against the wall. "What?"

"Nothing." Raph shook his head. "Bottom line, you gotta man up and face this. If it doesn't work, you know who to call."

He padded the pocket holding his shell cell. Jasper eyed it and its promise seemed to feed him courage. He blew out his breath slowly. "Yeah… ok…" He looked back up at Raph. "Thanks by the way. Wanted to be sure I said that."

Raph was officially uncomfortable now. "Enough stalling. Get out there."

Jasper nodded and climbed out of the van. Raph risked poking his head up front after he'd closed the door. He watched Casey and April walk Jasper up onto the porch and knock on a navy blue door. A willowy woman, with graying blonde hair, a sagging face, and big earrings answered a minute later.

There was a moment or two of converse, then her arms flew out around Jasper. Her face sagged further with emotion and Raph read 'thank you' over and over on her lips. His chest relaxed and Raph sat back in his seat to wait for April and Casey. It'd take awhile for them to explain everything to Ms. Tyler. Plenty of time for him to drown in his own words.

 _You can't let your dad's actions speak for other people._

Had he seriously said that!?

But he hadn't been talking about Emma and her old man. That situation was completely different!

Wasn't it?

}{}{}{}{}{}{

 **Notice how I circled this back around? I laugh at my own cleverness! XD**


	13. Chapter 13

Master Splinter sat across from Leonardo, in a ring of shadow supplied by his vast collection of candles. His eldest had wanted more training with his internal breathing and he was always ready for the time spent teaching his children.

"We draw into yourselves," Master Splinter spoke to his son with his eyes closed. "In the spiritual sense more then anything, as it will influence our physical beings in the end. Start with deep inhales through the mouth, gaining your center…"

Something clanged against the floor of the lair. Master Splinter had learned to disregard such background noise long ago and he didn't stop his train of teaching. "Focus on your breathing; count the seconds of intake…"

 _Clang!_

"Sensei?" Leonardo asked for him to continue. Master Splinter gritted his teeth. "As the minutes pass, we will shorten your breaths, thus slowing our heart rates…"

"Ah, shell!" Michelangelo cried out, as two more clangs vibrating off the cement walls.

Master Splinter opened his eyes and stood up. "Focus on your breathing, Leonardo."

He didn't miss the snicker that escaped Leonardo as he turned and walked out to the living area. From above, clothes, comic books, and the nick nacks of a teenager's space came flying out of Michelangelo and Raphael's room. Master Splinter walked up, watching with twitching whiskers. "Michelangelo! I am working with Leonardo…"

"Dad!" Michelangelo's head popped out, holding his board in one hand and one of his brother's weights in the other. "I-I can't find it! I think I might've lost it, I'm not really sure."

"Lost what?" Master Splinter sighed, though off-set by his son's worried look.

"Emma's necklace!" Michelangelo blurted. "I'm real careful with it, honest, but… it was inside the protective cover of my Justice Force #19- cuse that was her age when we met- and now it's not! I don't…"

"You mean this?"

Master Splinter turned about to see Raphael emerging from the kitchen. He held a sandwich of pizza slices in one hand, and the dolphin necklace glinted in his other hand.

"Yes!" Michelangelo flew down on his board, about scorching the fur off the top of Master Splinter's head. He landed beside Raphael, the worry washed away from his face. "Thanks, bro! Give it here."

For a moment, Raphael didn't move. Master Splinter watched his son and waited. He wouldn't say anything this time. Rather, he would see if the things he had said in the past would take any effect in the present.

"You need to be more careful." Raphael finally said, passing the gold chain to Michelangelo. "I found it _and_ your comic next to the sink."

Michelangelo looked the necklace over with a nod. "Yeah. Gee, thanks! Up top!"

Raphael high-threed his brother, who then took off on his board- hopefully to clean up the mess he had created. But Master Splinter overlooked that and strolled up to Raphael, who was very interested in his sandwich suddenly. Master Splinter stopped in front of him with a gentle smile.

"You need something, sensei?" Raphael asked after a moment.

"Only to gaze upon my son with pride." Master Splinter told him. He walked around Raphael to resume his training with Leonardo. His training with Raphael was complete- for now.

 ** _THE END_**

 **Did you like? If you haven't told me already, let me know. Or if you hated it, let me know anyway. If you can think of ways**

 **to improve my settings or flush out the characters better, comment away.**

 **More to come; with or without Emma?**

 **Who knows. ;)**


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